In 1912, the Sioux City Journal organized some of its newspaper carriers into a little band. After some instruction in music and marching under director Lee Maynard, the Journal’s Newsboy Band made its debut concert at Crystal Lake. The Journal bought uniforms for the boys and promoted them in the region. They played concerts around town and were remembered for the Christmas Carols they played on the lawn of the old Court House at Sixth and Pierce.

The Sioux City Ghosts were an all-black fast-pitch softball team. They started in Sioux City and began touring the United States, Canada, and Mexico during the 1930s, and played until 1956. Because of their pranks on the softball field, they were often compared to the famous Harlem Globetrotters. They were an important part of African-American society in Sioux City during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Sports and competition have been an important part of Sioux City’s history since the nineteenth century. Certainly, one of the most popular forms of entertainment just after the turn of the century was automobile racing. It became a famous pastime across the United States, but especially in Sioux City. Racetracks for both horses and cars were scattered across the city. Sioux City’s most famous racing event, however, was the Mini Indy. It was the highlight of auto racing in Sioux City and Iowa.

In the fall of 1920, a group of Sioux City war veterans met to form a band. The eight musicians were all members of the newly organized Monahan Post of the American Legion in Sioux City and many had just returned from the battlefields of World War I. Herman Koch, Commander of the Monahan Post, believed a band would strengthen the post and he put out a call for musicians. They began to practice under the baton of director Barney Flanagan, a barber who had been a bandmaster in the Army.

In the early days of Sioux City, entertainment consisted of social gatherings with friends such as dances and picnics. In 1870 the Academy of Music was constructed and opportunities began to improve. The four-story building housed the post office and other government and commercial offices on the first floor with the Academy Performing Hall located on the second and third floors.

Located on the south side of Fourth Street between Douglas and Pierce streets, the building was ninety feet wide and one hundred feet deep. The stage was twenty-two feet by fifty feet, with a twenty-six foot arched opening. The stage had two trap doors for special effects and gas foot lights which could be adjusted. Eight hundred people could watch shows performed by traveling companies. It was also used for high school graduations, political speeches, and concerts. Susan B. Anthony spoke on womens' suffrage twice during the 1870s.

What did the citizens of Sioux City do for entertainment in the late 1890s through the 1920s? The answer is Riverside Park. This part of the city was a major attraction for the region. From the first amusement park (complete with a roller coaster), to country clubs, picnic grounds, baseball fields, racing tracks, and fairgrounds, Riverside had it all.

The main attraction to the area was the Sioux River. Unlike the channelized river of today, the old Sioux was a slow moving, picturesque river up to two hundred yards in width. Because people had no air conditioning, being around water was a definite summer attraction.

The Riverside Park area changed hands many times in the early years of the city. Theophile Bruguier owned the area for over twenty years before selling it around 1880. It was finally purchased in 1890 by the Riverside Park Land Company. Owners included: James Booge, John Hornick, John Peirce, E. C. Peters, and James Peavey. The intent of the company was to develop the land for houses, factories, and railway branch lines. Since many of these men also owned the City and Suburban Railway Company, the prospects for success seemed certain.

The Financial Panic of 1893 changed all their plans. Both the Land Company and the Railway Company went bankrupt. The railway company was purchased by the Sioux City Traction Company and a new company known Riverside Park Improvement Company purchased the land.